I know a pastor who does not work, does not tithe but requires his members to pay tithes and very, very, generous offering including an extra $100 per month in addition to their tithes, plus give him an $1000 each year. Also the church sells breakfast, dinners, sodas, ice cream, lemonade, candy, to those same members that gave the money There is no one can fire the pastor because he inherited the church from his father. He says Philppians 4 chapter means that the members should take care of the pastor and give him money. He lives in a 3 million dollar home, drives a $100,000 Mercedes and wears $1500 custom made suits. I thought if you don't pay tithes you suppose to be cursed?

If even your own right hand has no business knowing what your left hand does in the subject of giving then for sure no one else has any business knowing. But please be forgiving and be careful not to take offense.

#2. Just thought you might be interested-- If there are welfare recipients who want to give,(we always have some) they are asked to give time in work or prayer for the church rather than money. If they give any amount of money to church, they are required to report it to Social Services, who will cut their benefits by that amount. (That's in Texas, don't know about elsewhere)

Not sure the pastor knowing who gives what always affects pastoral care, but it could. My pastor doesn't care to know.. his secretary counts contibutions and keeps the books. He says we *always* have enough. He will not even allow "fund raisers". We never pass a collection plate (there's a basket in front and a box in the rear of the sanctuary) The pastor believes that tithing is optional today. But we still have some avid tithers so he talks about "tithes *or* offerings".

No it is not ethical. In fact its not ethical to even know who tiths. In fact Tithes are not even a new testiment princip;e yet some pastors tell the congregation that if you don't tithe you will be cursed by God.

I see no reason for a Pastor to even know what the members give. If there is a treasurer handing the money then the only way a Pastor would know is to make it a point to find out and I have to ask "why?". He isn't called to be the tithe police but to preach the Word.

No. My Pastor says if you feel you need to pay tithes, then pay, if not then don't. Because it is between you and God. He also says to give to God on how much God has blessed you. And he also says that if you can't give the Lord money, then don't worry about, just praise him for what he has done in your life.

Jude mentions those who are "murmurers, complainers, going according to their lusts, and their mouth speaks proud things, admiring faces for the sake of gain." Since I don't know your pastor personally, all I can say is to listen to your heart.

An easy way to circumvent this is to use cash only and don't put it in an envelope with your name on it. At that point, only you and Father know what you gave even if it looks like you gave nothing. Unfortunately, there are some...well, ummmm...."pastors" who look at the offerings and then show favoritism to those who give the most or punish those who aren't "measuring up".

No it is not ethical, it is disgusting. If he discusses this, what else is he discussing with his family? You could even ask "WHO else is he discussing personal matters with?" A pastor is in a very privileged position and if he cannot control his tongue he should change jobs. I think that he should be confronted over this matter as soon as possible.